Car-brake-operating mechanism.



Patented Oct. 9, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEETI lala/afan' //zf/ c H. I. SCHMICK. CAB BRAKE OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8. I9I6.

fmIIIIIII* i H. I. SCHIVIICK. CAR BRAKE OPERATING IVIECHANISIVI.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8. I9I6. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2p Patented Oct. 9,

H. I. SCHMICK. CAR BRAKE OPERATING IIIECHANISIVI.

. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8. 1916. ,24f2,63 A

Patented 0st. 9, 19.17.

H. J. SCHMICK. CAR'BBKE OPERATING IVIECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED Dsc. 8. IsIs.

1,242,603. Patented OCI. 9,1917,

HENRY J. scnivrrcir,l or Lock' HAVEN, PENNSYLVANIA.

CARI-BRAKE-OPERATING MECHANISM.

To all whom t may concern." v y Be it known that I, HENRY J. SoriiviicK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lock Haven, in the county of Clinton-and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in `(Jar- Brake-Operating Mechanism, of which'the following is a specification'.

This invention relates to improvements in brake operating mechanism.

The object of the invention is to provide mechanism so constructed and arranged that when the brakes are applied, the same operating meansserve as a lock-to hold the parts in set position, hence dispensing'wit-h the use of auxiliary mechanism for setting the brakes.

'A further object of the invention is to provide mechanism for operating the brakes which will act positively and quickly with a minimum of power-applied. Y 'f The invention also comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts which will be' hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l represents a `detail front elevation illustrating the application of the" invention to a freight car. l L x Fig.' 2 is a section on' the line 2- 2 of Fig. 3. i i

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line 44ofFig.2. Fig. 5 is a cross section on lthe line 5-`-. 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a face view of the cam diskand cam.

Fig.'7 is a vertical central section illustrating the applicationV of the'invention v to a passenger car.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section of the same'.

Fig. 9 is a face view of'a cam disk showing a single cam thereon, this form ofjcam being shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

Fig. 10 is a section s1 ilar to Fig. 2, but illustrating a different form of the invention. -1 f f" Fig. 11 isa'vertical section of theform shown in Fig.V 10. l I 1v represents the front sill Vof a freight car, to the under sidcof whichis secured acasing V2, which supports the brake operating mechanismi This casing is Vformed with an enlarged annular housing '3, and a smaller tial to insure 'pr Specificationof Letters Patent. 'Patented 0013.9, 1917. Applicationmeanecember s,191e. seia1No.'13 5,s24. y l l `r annular housing 3a, yin rfwhich is lmounted a transverse shaft 4.. On vthe transverse shaft,

and jin the smaller annular housing,rk is Vfastened a Wheel 5, formedv on kits periphery with alternate wide chainl seats, and nar'- wheel fand4 engaging in the seatsv 6' and 7, is

9 tothe front of housing 31, vwhile the other end Vextends rearwardly to the brakes.

4 row chain seats and passing around this 'a'chain'8, one end of` which is fastened at In this connection attention is called to the fact that `the chain is slack between the wheel andthe fastening point 9," and in all instances, whether the brakes be off or on, the chain is maintained at this point in this condition. The chain is prevented from trailing the'wheel by `a shoe 10, which fits in the "groove of the wheel, 'and is formed on vthe end'of a bolt 11.

Also .secured on Vtheshaft` 5, is gear wheeli12, the teeth of which are radially disposed, and the opposite, faces' of each' tooth are similar.v One side of each tooth is conveznas shown at'13,.while' the opposite side is concave, as shown at 1 4.' Whilethe sides of the teeth vare radial, and' are yconvex and concaved, the corners I5 are fon'lines parallel' withv a` line 'drawn .through the axis vof thewheel, these vlimitations being essenwhich will be described later on.. Y

While the teeth are radially disposed, the walls'between the teeth taper, and their bottoms are convex, as clearly shown in the oper meshing with a cam,l

drawings, this also being essential to a proper meshing relation with the cam.

In ther topVv of the casing is an annular bearing 15, andV seated in'this bearing is a disk 16, held in'proper position in the bearing by a plate 17, secured by bolts 18. EX- tending from thennder side of the disk'l, is a `speciallyformed cam or cams 19,V designed to mesh with the gear wheel 12, :to

obtain the necessary power 'and motionto effect' operatio'nof the brakes, l the cambeing application filed Nov.; 25, 1914:, Serial No. 873,929. Itemploy asmany cams on the disksy as may be necessary to governthe Each cam 1s radio-helicalin general outline, and its front, face is irregularlyjconing vsimilar to the one shown in my co-pend-v caved to cause proper meshing` with the teeth of the gear' wheel, as 'shown' at 20,.

This is essential, dueto the fact that the radii from the center of the disk through the cams constantly varies, while the point of meshing with the teeth of the gear is always on fixed lines. The inner end wall 21, of each cam inclines from the beginning or root of the curve, the inclination gradually diminishing and merging into a straight wall 22 at the opposite end of the curve. The approximate `merging of the inclined wall into the straight wall is substantially at a point 23, intermediate the two ends of the curve, to properly mesh with the gear teeth, as will appear later. The opposite wall 24, of each cam is reversely inclined, that is, the greatest inclination is at the point of greatest radius, as shown at 25. The inclination gradually disappears at 26, and merges into a straight wall 27, near the root end of the curve.

The two cams are so disposed with relation to each other that the outer end of one overlaps the inner end of the other to form a space 28, to receive one tooth of the gear.

rlhe axis of the disk is disposed on a plane extending substantially across one face of the gear wheel, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, while the axis of the gear Wheel is in line with the center of the space formed between the two outer ends of the cams, as shown by the line y in Fig. 2.

A shaft 29, extends upwardly from the disk, to the top of the car, and is provided with a hand wheel 30, to aflord convenient means for operating the mechanism.k

To operate the brakes, the hand wheel 30 is rotated, and the cams, acting on the gear teeth, rotate the wheel and pull is exerted on the chain, the slack chain dropping in front of the casing. Y

Considering Fig. 2, it will be seen that the two cams lit snugly between adjacent teeth, due to the factirst of the `relative curvature of the cams, the relative disposition of the gear and the cam, and the specific cross sectional shape of the cams. Referrii'ig again to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the two straight sides 22-22 of the two cams snugly fit the opposite sides of two adjacent teeth, while the respective inclined walls 25-25 of the cams snugly engage opposite sides of the next two teeth of the gear, the curvature of the sidewalls of the teeth forming curved spaces to receive the cam when in meshing relation. l/Vhen in this relation, the irregular concave face' 'of the cam comes into play. That is, in any position of the cam when in mesh with the gear the convex bottomv of each gear space will snugly lit against the cam. y This is occasioned by reason of the fact that the line of the concavity of the cam face when on a line with the axis of the gear is identically on the same arc as the arc kat the bottoms of the gear spaces, and as the radii of the cams all vary, it obviously follows that to obtain this snug relationship, the concavity of the cam face varies.

In addition to the particular construction of the various faces described, it is essential that the gear be disposed to one side of the axis of the cam, as shown and described. This permits of the cams being made on such curves that the roots or bases thereof` can closely approach the center of the disk with the result that ygreater ethciency and power is obtained. rllhis construction also accomplishes a most important result, in that the cams act on the teeth in lines substantially at right angles to the aXis of the gear, consequently the strain when pulling on the chain, and the strain on the gear is equally distributed ythroughout all the parts. Y

The mechanism acts quickly in applying a brake, and because of the intermeshing relation of the gear and cam, the parts are automatically locked, hence dispensing with the usual pawl and` ratchet mechanism. When the brake is to be released, the hand wheel is reversed, and identically the same meshing relation of the gears takes place, except of course the movement of the cam and the gear is reversed, and the slack chain is taken up. y

l desire to emphasize the construction and arrangement of the parts whichpermit of the chain being slack at its outer end. lith this arrangement, the chain can be readily adjusted at any time to suit the requirements of brake conditions, and furthermore friction between the parts is reduced to a minimum as only a part of the chain wheel engages with the chain.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 7 andS, the construction lpreviously described is ,altered to adapt it to passenger cars, although the same fundamental prin'- ciples are employed. ln these figures, 40 indicates a gear, mounted in this instance on a vertical shaft44l, provided at its lower end with a spiral or grooved portion 42, to receive the brake chain. 43 represents a cam which engages the gear, land is mounted on a shaft 44, which is horizontally disposed and extends through the casing.v As many cams are employed on the disks as are necessary to govern the speed of the brakes, but the same action is obtained, irrespective to number. The outer end of the shaft 44 is provided with a hand wheel 45, so shaped as to operate around the casing to economize in. space. The ycasing inclosing and supporting the gear and cam is provided with suitable flanges 46, by means ofl which it is attached to a convenient portion of the platformconstruction of a car.

ln Figs. 10 and ll the construction of the gears `and cams are the same as in Fig. 2,

but -in lieu of the chain Wheel on theffshaft 4 I provide a pinion 70, vvhich meshes with a rack 71, mounted lto slide in the housing, and which isv connectedto the brakes in lieu of the chain shown in Fig. 2. i

` As showing. one 'means' of preventing' Water or dirt entering the housing and interfering with the meshing of the gear and cam, I provide acover*v plate 73,A shown in Fig.V 1l, Whicli'is provided Withfa bearing.

combination of av casing having an annularv bearing surface, a gear Wheel mounted in lthe casing, the teeth vof gear Wheel being radially ydisposed,`a lcam element having a cam on one face 'thereof to engage the radial gear` teeth, said cani element being sup-v )ortedonthe annular surface inthe housn ing, the axis of the cam element being in substantial alinement With onel face of the vgear Wheel, a plate secured to the casing to hold the cam in mesh iviththe gear'te'eth, means for rotating the cam element, and means` a chain to operate'a brake.

Q. In lbrake operating mechanism', the combination of a gear Wheel, the teeth Vof which on opposite faces are ofthe same Width and are similar in' shape, one edge Wall of each tooth being concave and the opposite edge Wall being convex, the corners of opposite faces of each tooth being parallel connected with the gear Wheel for engaging to a line through the aXis of the gear Wheel,

a cam meshing with the gear Wheel, said cam having one side near one end inclined in one direction and merging into a straight line, and its opposite side near the opposite other end being inclined in the oppositedirection and merging into a straight line,

the axis of the cam being substantially in a plane With one face of the gear Wheel, means for rotating the cam, and a chain operated by the gear Wheel.

3. In brake operating mechanism, the combination of a casing, a gear Wheel mounted in the casing, a cam disk having its axis at right angles to the axis of the gear wheel, one face of the gear Wheel being in substantial alinement With the aXis of the cam disk, a cam projecting from one face of the cam disk and meshing With the teeth of the gear Wheel, a chain engaging Wheel rotating With they gear Wheel, a chain engagthechain `Wheel, and an,v operating hand piece for rotating't'he 'eam'disk ,y Y' 4. In brakey operating vmechanism, the

combination of 'a casing, a geai" Wheel f slack in said chain, andmeans for rotating the cam. i y, Y 5.y In ybrake operating mechanism, the combination of a casiiig,` a gear Wheel mounted inthe casing, a rotary cam'engaging the gear teeth and disposed at right angles' to the axis of the gear'yvlieel, a chain lvvheel having alternatey deep and shallow seats to accommodate thelinks` offa chain, a' chain engaging the chain Wheel and confined by the casing, andra shoe vto prevent jthe chain trailing the chain Wheel.l y l V l 6. In' brake mechanism, the combination with avoasing formed with a'hoi'izontal bearing, v.a icam'dis 'seated on the horizontal bearing, afcap" plate fitted overthe camdisk to hfoldsai'i'ie in its bearing, acam projectl ing from one face of theicam disk, 4a gear Wheel mounted in .the casing; at 'right' angles `to theV axis of the cam" disk'and toone side the planeof said axis, a chain Wheel rotated With the 'gear Wheel, `a chain engaging the chain Wheel, the frontend of thev chain being secured to the casing, and means for rotatiiigthe cam. disk.l

7. In brake l Voperating 'mechanisim the combination of a casing, a gear mounted therein, a cam disposed at right angles `to the gear, r'and meshing therewith, a ychain Wheel rotatable by and Withthe gear Wheel, a chain secured 4at one end to the casing and passing partially around the chain-Wheel,

, and means for rotating the cam.

8. In brake operating mechanism, the combination of a casing, a gear mounted therein, a cam disposed at right angles to the gear and meshing therewith, the faces of the cam being formed to snugly t the side and bottom Walls offa tooth of the gear When in meshing relation, a chain Wheel rotatable by and With the gear Wheel, a

chain engaging the chain Wheel, and means for securing the chain to prevent the free end passing over the chain Wheel.

9. In ybrake operating mechanism, the combination of a casing, a shaft mounted therein, a rgear Wheel carried by the shaft being respectively convex, and concave, a brake operating element, means on the shaft for operating the brake operating element When the gear Wheel is rotated, a cam element mounted in the casing, a cam exythe teeth of the gear vvheel being radial Y and the opposite 'edge Walls of each toothtending from one face of the cam element and meshing With the gear teeth, the inner Wall of the cam being inclined at the root of the curve and gradually merging into a straight surface parallel With the axis of the cam element, the outer Wall of the cam at the end nearest the circumference of the element being inclined in a direction opposite to the inclination of the inner Wall and merging into a straight surface parallel With the axis of the cam element, one surface of the gear Wheel being in line lWith the axis of the cain element whereby the Walls of the teeth in mesh with the cani Will snugly fit the Walls thereof a ca late on the casino 7 t) to hold. the cam and gear Wheel in mesh, a rod extending from the cam element, and a hand operated device on the rod to rotate the latter. y

10. ln brake operating mechanism, the combination of a casing, a gear Wheel mounted in the casing, said gear Wheel having radial teeth the opposite end Walls being concave and convex, an element rotatable with the gear Wheel, brake actuating means engaging the element, whereby the brake is applied or released When the gear Wheel is rotated, a cam element mounted in the casing and at right angles to the gear Wheel one face of the gear Wheel being in alinement with the axis of the cam element, a cam on one lface of the cam element, said cam meshing With the radial teeth of the gear Wheel, the inner Wall of the cam at its root being inclined, said inner Wall from the inclined position gradually merging into a straight surface at the outer end of the cam, the straight surface being parallel With the axis of the cam element, the outer Wall of the cam atthe root thereof being straight and parallel With the axis of the cam element andv gradually merging into an inclined surface at the outer end of the cam, the radial teeth and the respective Walls of the cam causing the teeth to fit snugly the contacting surfaces and force to be exerted in lines at right angles to the axis of the gear Wheel, a rod extending from the cam and means on the rod to rotate same to operate the mechanism.

1l. In brake operating mechanism, the combination of a casing having an annular bearing surface, a shaft mounted in the casing, a gear Wheel carried by the shaft, the teeth of the gear Wheel being radial and the opposite edge Walls of each tooth being respectively convex and concave, a brake operating element, means on the shaft for operating the brake operating element When the gear Wheel is rotated, a cam element mounted in the casing and seated against the annular bearing, said cam element having a cam extending axially from one face thereof and meshing With the gear teeth, the inner Wall of the cam being inclined at the root of the curve and gradually merging into a straight line surface parallel With `the axis of the cam element, the outer vvall of the cam at the end nearest the edge of the cam element being inclined in a direc-V tion opposite to the inclination of the inner Wall and merging into a straight surface parallel with the axis of said cam element, a cap plate on the casing to hold the cam and gear vvheelin mesh, a rod extending from the cam element, and a hand operated device on the rod to rotate the latter.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signa` ture in the presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY J. SCHMICK.

Witnesses:

EMEA? F. CAMP, JOHN lMrRrE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the .Cominssoner of Patentsi Washington, D. C. 

